Knobs are commonly used on a variety of commercial and residential appliances to control an operating condition of the appliance. Knobs are particularly common on cooking appliances, such as stoves or cooktops. Various shapes and sizes can be used depending upon e.g., the intended application, aesthetics, and other factors.
For example, cooking appliances that include a cooktop traditionally have at least one heating element positioned on a panel proximate a cooktop surface for use in heating or cooking an object, such as a cooking utensil, and its contents. The heating element can operate to heat a cooking utensil directly through induction heating, or may use another heat source such as electrically resistant coils or gas burners. In turn, some cooktops have lighting elements installed beneath or behind the knobs so that the light may shine through an opening. One or more light guides may be provided around the knob to display the light above or in front of the panel and communicate certain conditions to the user, such as e.g., whether the knob is in an “on” position. When assembled, the light guide is installed with the rest of the knob and secured to the panel from a position behind the panel and, e.g., enclosed within the appliance.
Certain challenges exist with this construction, however. Generally, existing constructions make it impossible to attach or remove the light guide once the panel is assembled. Specifically, disassembly and/or removal of the panel from the cooktop appliance may be required to detach an existing light guide. However, such detachment may be desired in order to, for example, clean the surrounding area or replace the existing light guide with a new light guide that provides a distinct, unique appearance.
Accordingly, an improved control knob assembly, such as a knob assembly that uses light to indicate operation of the control knob, would be beneficial.